I need help with American Flyer from 1947

May be having an issue with the loco having not been run for awhile as much or more than dirty track.  A little lubrication & cleaning may be the order of the day.  The stopping on curves leads me to think the extra resistance of the curved track overworks the efficiency of the motor.  Try googling the Flyer # and you'll get more info.  Also, look on the S gauge forum.  Good luck..

Hi,

American Flyer steam locomotives pick up all of their power from the metal wheels on the tender.  Each truck has a set of brass or steel wheels that picks up power from the rails.  If the wiring between the locomotive and tender has been replaced with stiff wire, it is possible that the wire harness causes the front truck on the tender to lift off of the track on curves.  If the pickup wheels on the front truck happen to be the ones lifting up the train will stop dead and go into "neutral".  Just for fun put the train on the track going the opposite way and see if you get any improvement.  In the opposite direction, if the truck is lifting up, the pickup wheels will stay on the rail.

Here is another possible solution to keep your train running.  There is a switch under the tender or on top of the locomotive's boiler that keeps the reverse unit from going through its cycle and into "neutral.  While the engine is running forward if you throw the reverse locking switch the engine will not go into neutral when it looses power for a split second.  If you are only using this train to go around your Christmas tree, this may solve your problem.

I set up an American Flyer "Christmas Garden" as we call them in Baltimore every year and have dealt with these engines for many years.  They can be tricky to get running smoothly.  Remember your engine is 65 years old and like some humans they can get cantakerous at that age.

Best regards,

Joe Foehrkolb

Also check for a loose or broken wire on the jack at the rear of the locomotive where it plugs into the jack panel.

I would recommend not using sandpaper, but instead ScotchBrite green pads or 00 or 000 sanding pads (not steel wool).  Sandpaper will score the soft metal of the rails and while the first time get them nice and clean the more you use the sandpaper the faster, deeper, and worse gunk will eventually build up on your rails, so you'll end up cleaning them more often and taking longer each time you do.  91% isopropyl alcohol on a cotton rag then is a nice way to finish it off.  Among the common things that could be wrong are dirty track and/or tender wheels, fatigued wire(s) or wire connection(s) between the tender and the engine (you may not even see the fatigued portion of old wire inside the insulation), a 3-part engine drive wheel(s) coming apart such that the rim ever so slightly touches the engine chassis in a curve, a tender axle contact spring that needs to be adjusted so as to apply uniform pressure on its corresponding axle (copper tabs underneath tender), improperly gauged tender wheels (you should be able to put a dime between the backs of the tender wheels), or a tender truck out of square (a corner lifted such that all four wheels don't make even contact with even pressure on the rails.  Try looking for and addressing those things first.  If not able to get it running well, then I suggest you take it to a repair person, but make sure you know they really know how to fix flyer.  Best to take it to someone in your area that other S-gaugers use and trust.  While many electric trains repair methods are transferable between scales/gauges, there are a few important subtleties to be aware of, particularly with old Flyer engines. 

You know, that's very true, and sometimes I forget this fact. 

Mark in Oregon